In support of His Grace

First it was Boris banning bus ads because they don't agree with his worldview. Now the Advertising Standards Authority has been hounding a long-dead Archbishop for promoting a traditional view of marriage. (See Cranmer entry for 11th May 2012.) Is it just a coincidence that the Chairman of the ASA is Lord Smith (former Labour MP Chris Smith) who is also Vice President of The Campaign for Homosexual Equality? Calton has no plans to introduce advertising on this blog in the near future however he quite understands the reasons why other bloggers do so (money) and he is very worried about the way Cranmer has been treated by the ASA. It seems to Calton that this is an attack on free speech by stealth and free speech is something very dear to Calton's heart. He therefore fully supports the stance Cranmer has taken and also the 'Feel Free To Insult Me' campaign which has been launched to lobby for the repeal of section five of the 1986 Public Order Act. This is an English Act, however we are not so separate yet that what happens south of the Border does not affect us here in Scotland and, in this internet age, it is not always clear where one jurisdiction ends and another begins. It is high time we scrapped the pernicious idea that just because someone feels offended, a crime has been committed.